EBay and Microsoft said Monday they have concluded an agreement to develop e-commerce applications and expand their Web presence.
The companies said they will integrate eBay's online marketplace into a number of Microsoft's Web properties, including some of the company's MSN Network sites.
EBay (EBAY) will also support Microsoft's technologies, and will be one of the first websites to offer its commerce application to Web developers as an XML-based Web service. EBay will also deploy Microsoft (MSFT) software applications, including Windows 2000 Server and Passport.
EBay should start showing up on MSN later this year.
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No work at Work.com: The employees of Work.com are out of work themselves, after the general purpose website for small businesses said it would cease operations and lay off its staff of 113.
The closure of Work.com, jointly owned by Dow Jones (DJ) and At Home (ATHM), comes less than a week after Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones warned of job cuts, citing a downturn in advertising sales and earnings shortfalls.
About 100 employees at Work.com's headquarters in Redwood City and its offices in New York City and Chicago will be laid off by March 16, with the remaining staff staying on temporarily to wind down the site's business, a Work.com spokesman said.
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Menage a trois: Sony Computer Entertainment, maker of the PlayStation 2 game console, is joining forces with Toshiba and IBM (IBM) in a $400 million, five-year plan to develop a new type of microprocessor.
The goal is to create chips with processing power equal to a supercomputer that could be used in a variety of "intelligent" consumer electronics products, those able to communicate with each other or connect with the Internet.
"We'd like to be able to connect through broadband networks a variety of products, virtually all consumer electronics from PDAs to games," a Toshiba spokesman said.
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Novo slashes 70 jobs: Novo Networks said it would lay off 40 percent of its work force, or 70 positions, in a bid to contain costs amid struggling capital markets.
The Dallas telecommunications company said the job cuts would come through the elimination of positions and normal attrition.
Novo said it had enlisted JP Morgan to help evaluate ways to raise its share price.
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Marching out the door: Internet consulting firm marchFIRST said three of its top executives resigned and that it appointed a three-member committee to assist the company during the management transition.
The Chicago firm said those who quit were Robert Bernard, chairman and chief executive officer; Thomas Metz, president and chief operating officer and Joseph Bong, executive vice president.
The company did not say why they had resigned.
The company's shares (MRCH) closed at $1-1/8 on Friday, a touch above its year low of $1 and way below of its 52-week high of $48-3/4.
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EA, Nintendo drop suit: Electronic Arts (ERTS) and Nintendo of America said they will drop a lawsuit against Yahoo as part of an agreement to prevent the sale of counterfeit video-game products on the Internet media company's auctions and classified sites.
"Nintendo is pleased that consumers of Nintendo video-game products will not have access to pirated goods on Yahoo Auctions," said Richard Flamm, vice president and general counsel of Nintendo, creator of such video game icons as Mario and Donkey Kong.
Reuters contributed to this report.
